


The Littlest Vampire

by AryaStark22



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-07 22:03:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4279539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AryaStark22/pseuds/AryaStark22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla has a younger sister. Story is from the sister's point of view. Mostly fluff. Though if you stick around things might get a little angsty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome Back

“You picked a fine time to join us, little nugget.” Carmilla teased as she embraced her younger sister.  
“Ugh, Carm, I told you to stop calling me that like a hundred years ago.” Genevieve complained, though not too seriously. It had felt like a hundred years since Genevieve had seen Carmilla and she had really missed her.  
“You know I’m never going to stop, right? You ARE my baby sister, after all.” Carmilla responded as she put Genevieve into a headlock and proceeded to give her a noogie.  
“Carm! Stop! Haha, cut it out!” Genevieve protested as she attempted to wrestle herself out of her sister’s strong grip. After a few moments of play fighting and after a few slightly terrified looks from travelers making their way through the train station, Carmilla and Genevieve made their way out of the building and found their way to Carmilla’s car. “So I heard Mattie showed back up at Silas recently too. How is that working out?” Genevieve asked as they pulled away from the parking lot.  
“Mattie is Mattie. Things between her and Laura are kind of tense, but Mattie’s promised not to hurt her.” replied Carmilla. Genevieve scanned Carmilla’s face for any sign that she was joking, but found none. Had Carmilla forgotten about Mattie’s track record for annihilating anyone who upset her or got in her way? “Speaking of Laura, I can’t wait for you to finally meet her! Granted, she’s a little worried about meeting you now that she’s been introduced to Mattie. I told her not to worry because you and Mattie are so different and you would never threaten to use her as a human juice box.” Carmilla spewed as she sped along. Genevieve, try as she might, could not suppress the grin she had been hiding for any longer. She hadn’t heard Carmilla speak like this in a very long time.  
“So this Laura must be something special since you won’t shut up about her.” Genevieve ridiculed. “What? Do you LOVE her or something?” If Carmilla could blush, it was plain to her younger sister that she would have been.  
“Oh Gen. Shut up. It’s just...she’s different, ok?” Carmilla spouted, looking quite flustered. Genevieve decided to leave her sister be and simply smiled. She was happy for Carmilla. It had been far too long since she had been truly happy. Mother had seen to that. Mother...she had seen to Genevieve as well. Carmilla must have sensed that Genevieve’s thoughts had taken a dark turn.  
“Hey little nugget. Don’t look so glum. You’re with me now, right? And you’ll be seeing Mattie soon too.” Carmilla said, attempting to cheer her sister with a light-hearted punch to the arm. Genevieve managed to shoot her sister a weak smile. Back when Genevieve was freshly turned, Carmilla always knew just what to do to cheer her up. A lot had happened since then though. Carmilla’s attempt to make her feel better didn’t eradicate the black spot in her brain that had lingered there for quite some time. It was like putting a band-aid on a bullet hole. A nice gesture, but in the long run it did nothing but remind Genevieve of how much had changed and all that had happened to her.  
“Wow...Silas looks like shit.” proclaimed Genevieve. It was much worse than that though. It reminded Genevieve of the ruins of her hometown after the war steam rolled over it. Home...the thought threw the dark shade back over her mind. So many painful memories and regrets flooded Genevieve’s mind.  
“Hey, Gen. I’m trying to explain to you what happened here. Where did you go?” Carmilla asked, her brow furrowed with concern.  
“Sorry Carm. I just got lost in my thoughts is all. I’m alright.” replied Genevieve, shaking her head. Carmilla parked her car in the secret garage located underneath what used to be the dean’s residence.  
“Home sweet home” Carmilla said in a mocking tone. “Your remember, don’t you?”  
“Of course. It’s been a long time, but not long enough for me to forget this place” Genevieve replied. She remembered when this was one of the only places she felt safe. How naive she had been in those days. Safe was not a word you ever associated with mother. Genevieve had learned that the hard way. “Well let’s go inside then. You’ve been gushing about this Laura for so long. It’s time that I actually met her” Genevieve jibed.  
“Buckle up, little nugget,” Carmilla said with a chuckle, “Laura is little, but she is mighty. At least in intensity”.  
“Enough with the warnings! She’s only a human after all. I’ve dealt with worse” Genevieve stated, feigning annoyance.  
“Alright, alright” Carmilla conceded, holding up her hands in mock surrender. They made their way up the stairs to the living quarters. At the top of the staircase was a massive, ancient oak door. A wave of nostalgia hit Genevieve as she pushed past it and into the foyer. It was almost as if she had travelled back in time. It appeared as though nothing had changed since she’d last been here, and that was over 60 years ago. But as her eyes adjusted to the light in the room, she noticed the differences. Instead of a massive painting on the wall in the living room, a brand new flat screen tv hung in its place. There were numerous pairs of shoes strewn about the hallway, all of varying sizes. Genevieve figured the tiniest of the shoes belonged to her sister’s newest pet human. As the thought crossed her mind, she scolded herself. Carmilla seemed to think highly of this Laura. How would Genevieve feel if Carmilla had such a blase attitude towards someone she loved? A sharp stab of pain hit Genevieve square in the chest at this newest thought. She HAD loved someone once. It felt like someone had reached their hand into her chest and crushed her heart in their fist.  
“Gen! What’s wrong??” Genevieve hadn’t noticed Carmilla come up behind her and put her hand on her back. She also hadn’t realized she was doubled over, hands on her knees, on the verge of tears. She stood up and looked Carmilla in the eyes. If she looked past the intense concern apparent in her sister’s dark eyes, she could see the deeply wounded look in her own reflected back at her. “What-” Carmilla began to say when she was abruptly cut off by a tiny figure barreling into the room. It launched itself at Carmilla.  
“YOU’RE BACK!!” exclaimed the small girl as she hung from Carmilla’s neck. Judging by the way her sister looked at her, Genevieve figured this must be Laura.  
“Woah there Creampuff, I wasn’t gone that long” laughed Carmilla.  
“With all the weird stuff happening around here, ten minutes is too long” the smaller girl stated with a sigh. She let go of Carmilla’s neck and turned to face Genevieve. “Sorry for not introducing myself. I’m Laura Hollis. You must be Carmilla’s other sister. Genevieve, right?”  
“Yeah, that’s me. It’s nice to finally meet you, Laura. You’re basically all Carmilla would talk to me about as of late” Genevieve said shakily, the last bit of pain still slowly receding from her rib cage. It didn’t help that even though she was now over a century old and a vampire to boot, Genevieve seemingly did not inherit the flawless social skills her sisters and mother possessed. She would never willingly admit it, but Genevieve was worried Laura wouldn’t like her. She worried that Matska and their mother had completely destroyed Laura’s opinion of Carmilla’s family, dragging Genevieve down with them. Carmilla punched her not all too softly on the arm.  
“That’s enough out of you” Carmilla said sheepishly, her cool exterior falling momentarily victim to her embarrassment. Laura laughed.  
“Carm, I like this sister much more already. She hasn’t threatened to kill or censor me”. Encouraged by Laura’s approval, Genevieve decided to play along.  
“Oh, I wouldn’t judge me too quickly. I am a vampire after all,” she chided. Then in a heavy Transylvanian accent added, “Blood, blood, I want to suck your blood!” as she shuffled toward Laura with her arm holding an invisible cape over the bottom half of her face. Laura burst into a fit of giggles.  
“Yep. Much better than the rest of your family for sure. With your sense of humor, how did you survive around them? I’ve tried to find Carmilla’s funny bone, but it doesn’t seem like she has one”.  
“That’s my fault. She had to put up with a decade of my constant terrible jokes and puns. I think I may have ruined her on the humor front” joked Genevieve. Carmilla made a face at both of them.  
“It was a decade of pure torture, believe me” Carmilla said loftily as she rolled her eyes. No one said anything for a few seconds, then they all burst out laughing.  
“So the secret to Carm’s silly side is you! Well then I am even more glad you are here with us now” Laura said sincerely.  
“I am very happy to be here” Genevieve smiled. And she was. There wasn’t a place on earth she would have rather been. That is until her eldest sister walked through the front door.


	2. Ripped Jeans Are Actually Way Better Than Dobby's Rags, Thank You Very Much

“My, my, what a surprise. The prodigal sister returns to Silas. How is my little destroyer?” Matska purred.   
“It’s a pleasure to see you too, Mattie” Genevieve said stiffly.   
“Mattie, don’t call her that. You know that is extremely cruel of you” Carmilla said, a touch of anger lacing her words.   
“Oh come now. She isn’t still sensitive over that incident, is she? You can’t be serious” Mattie said, shooting a pointed look at her younger sisters.   
“Can we just drop it, Mattie? It’s not important. I am fine. Now that I’m back at Silas I’m great, actually” Genevieve quickly replied, eager to change the subject to something a little less painful. 

“Well you definitely don’t LOOK great. You look like a ruffian” Matska stated. A look of disdain settled on her face as she gave Genevieve a once-over. It was true. According to Matska’s standards, Genevieve’s outfit was only marginally better than Dobby the house elf’s rags. Her dark wash jeans had faded a few shades lighter and sported matching holes at both knees. Her once dark gray converse appeared as though someone had ran several marathons in them. She thought a blood red plaid flannel shirt over a simple black tank top was a decent combination. Actually, she thought she looked pretty shabby-chic. But that obviously was not Matska’s style. Matska looked flawless as ever in her perfectly tailored pantsuit. Somehow it was the exact right shade of maroon to accent her obnoxiously amazing complexion. Her designer trench coat must have cost its weight in gold. Genevieve didn’t know much about shoes, but she knew enough to know Matska’s were top of the line and that she walked like she were on her way to murder. In most cases, she was. She supposed Matska cared for her in her own way, but she had lived more lives than Genevieve cared to fathom. If she ever had a soft side, it had hardened long ago. All that really didn’t matter to Genevieve, though. Matska was never the sister she looked up to.   
Genevieve shrugged at Matska. “I am a mere peasant compared to you, sister. I was not blessed with your phenomenal taste. Doesn’t help that mother gave me her spare change as a monthly allowance, either.”

Matska rolled her eyes. “I see you haven’t given up your childish antics. I’d love to stay and hear the rest of your witty quips, but I have work to do”. As she turned to leave she shot the nearly forgotten Laura a piercing glare. Most people would have withered under such a look, but much to Genevieve’s surprise, the small girl returned the look in full. Genevieve had started liking Laura nearly from the moment she met her, but it was then that she knew she would come to love this turbo-charged bundle of spunk much like she loved Carmilla. The thought warmed her in a way she hadn’t had the pleasure of feeling in decades.   
“I’ll be seeing all of you again soon. Very soon” Matska said, ominously. She turned and walked out of the house, quickly disappearing into the increasing gloom of the evening.   
“She didn’t even shut the door behind her. Rude” quipped Genevieve, trying to lighten the mood. She turned to look at Carmilla and Laura. The way they were looking at each other was both heartwarming and nauseating to Genevieve. They were disgustingly cute. She smiled inwardly. Just as she was about to interrupt their moment, two ginger girls walked into the room.

“Hey Laura, the spare rooms are ready. Perry and I just finished up cleaning all my extra lab equipment out of the second one,” explained the girl with the short hair, “we probably would have been done quicker if Per hadn’t insisted that both rooms be completely spotless”.   
“Well I don’t want our guests thinking we’re animals!” the one Genevieve assumed was named Perry replied heatedly.   
“It’s fine guys. Anyway, Carmilla’s other sister is here! This is Genevieve” said Laura. She then turned toward her. “And Genevieve, this,” she pointed to the curly haired girl, “is Perry”. Perry waved at Genevieve and gave her a small smile. Pointing to the short haired girl, Laura said, “and that is LaFontaine. They prefer gender neutral pronouns”. LaFontaine nodded their head at her.   
“Nice to meet you Genevieve” offered LaFontaine.   
“Nice to meet you both as well. I promise not to misgender you, LaFontaine. I know how frustrating that can be,” Genevieve replied, holding her hand out to both of them in turn. “Did I hear that two rooms were ready? Are you expecting someone else?” she then asked to no one in particular.   
Carmilla gave her an apologetic smile. “I forgot to tell you,” Carmilla began to say, “Laura is waiting for someone as well”.   
“Oh?” Genevieve said with a hint of curiosity in her voice. “Who are you waiting for Laura, if I may ask?”  
“My cousin is coming! I hate the thought of her coming here when it’s so dangerous, but it doesn’t hurt to have an extra person on your side” explained Laura. “She was looking for somewhere exciting to go to school. After I had told her everything that went on here last semester, she decided then and there that Silas sounded like the perfect match for what she wanted”. 

“Pardon me for saying this,” Genevieve prefaced, “but your cousin sounds batshit crazy to me”.   
Laura chuckled. “She’s not crazy, she just has a thing for excitement and adventure. And maybe danger”.   
“Hm. Why does that sound so familiar?” Carmilla drawled as she smirked at Laura. Everyone laughed at that.   
“Ok, so maybe it runs in the family” Laura shrugged, smiling in good humor. 

Genevieve felt at ease again. This really seems like a good place, she thought to herself. At least, these seemed like good people, and people were the most important factor when it came to places, in her opinion. All at once weariness fell upon her. It had been quite some time since she had rested. Not since the day before she boarded the train to meet her sister. “I hate to be a party pooper, but could someone show me to my room?”


	3. I Wish It Were Only Just a Dream

Genevieve woke to the sound of creaking floorboards. Her eyes flew open as she jumped out of bed. She came crashing down on top of something. No, someone. 

“Was that really necessary?” Carmilla grumbled. 

“Carmilla?? What the hell are you doing sneaking into my room in the middle of the night?” Genevieve asked, eyebrows knit in confusion. 

“How about I tell you as soon as you let me up off the floor?” 

Genevieve stood up, helping Carmilla back onto her feet. 

“Sorry Carm. I guess I’m a little jumpy” Genevieve said, giving her sister an apologetic shrug. It didn’t help that she’d been having her famous recurring nightmare when Carmilla woke her up. Good thing she was a quiet sleeper. 

“Yeah, no kidding. I came in here because you were fussing a lot in your sleep. You kept saying ‘no’ and ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again” Carmilla explained. Well, so much for being a quiet sleeper, Genevieve thought to herself. 

“Oh that? I was just having a bad dream is all. No big deal” Genevieve said nonchalantly. She walked over to her bed and sat down.

Carmilla sat down next to her. “I know there’s more to this than that. You keep having moments. You stare off into the distance, lost in your own little world. And then yesterday, when you first got here? It looked like someone had ripped your heart right out of your body”. 

A few moments passed in silence. Then Genevieve turned to look at her sister. “Oh Carm...I can’t deny it any more. I thought I could keep it in, but being back here and being around you...it’s about when I was first turned. You remember, right? You had just come back from mother’s punishment”

Carmilla’s face darkened slightly. “Ah, yes. I had assumed that was what you were struggling with. I remember all too well. Meeting you for the first time was quite the shock to my system. I thought mother was done turning people. Then she took me to see you. She had you locked up. Said she’d put you in there the week before because you had killed someone”. Carmilla must have seen the pain spasming across her sister’s face because she put her arm around her. “What was her name? I know it hurts, but you have to talk about it”. 

“Her name was Isabel. And I...I...I loved her. I was IN love with her. I think she loved me too. She trusted me. She trusted me and I betrayed her. No. I KILLED her” Genevieve choked, tears streaming down her face. “I had fallen for her before our town was destroyed; before mother turned me. We spent all our time together. We rode our bikes, we swam, we went exploring the woods. And when we couldn’t move anymore because we were dead tired, we would go out to this field where all these wildflowers grew and we would read to each other until we fell asleep, lulled by the afternoon sun and the sense of security we had when we were together. Then the war steam rolled our village without warning. I remember being asleep and suddenly waking to the sound of bombs going off and people screaming in the streets. My parents were yelling. I ran downstairs where they were waiting for me. We were on our way to the cellar when a bomb dropped on the street directly outside the house. I woke dazed and covered in blood. I stood up confused, knowing I shouldn’t be alive, much less lucid and unbroken. I nearly lost my mind when I turned and saw my parents’ mangled bodies half covered in the rubble of our home. I remember there being a sharp pain in the side of my neck. I started running. I somehow ended up in Isabel and I’s field. The pain in my neck began coursing through the rest of my body, then I passed out. When I next woke up, Isabel was standing over me, tears streaming down her face. ‘I thought you were dead’ she wailed. She threw herself on me and we held each other for a few moments. Then I started feeling this deep pull. Isabel smelled amazing, but not in any way she had before. I felt my canines elongate painfully in my mouth; tasted my own blood. I tried to tell her to run. I knew something bad would happen if she stayed. I could feel it. But she wouldn’t go. ‘I won’t leave you’ she told me. Moments later I was standing over her lifeless corpse, feeling stronger than I ever had but completely destroyed. I don’t know how long I stayed by her body, but some time later mother came to collect me. That was when she locked me away. I remember wishing she’d leave me in there until I starved to death.”

“Oh Gen. I am so sorry that happened to you. I don’t understand why mother would find you and turn you, but then leave you there. That doesn’t make any sense. She had to have known what would happen in doing that. She shouldn’t have punished you” Carmilla said, frowning. 

A sudden, sick realization hit Genevieve. “She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew Isabel was the last tie I had to my old life. Could be that she even pointed Isabel in my direction once she found her. She planned the whole thing and allowed me to despise myself for all this time. If she wasn’t already dead, I’d kill her” Genevieve seethed through clenched teeth. She knew mother was harsh, but she didn’t know she could be that cruel. 

Carmilla looked nearly as furious as Genevieve. “I knew mother was sick and twisted, but THAT? If I still felt guilty over killing her, that’s all gone now”. She shook her head and looked at Genevieve sadly. “That was an awful thing she did to you. What she did to Ell...I thought that was bad enough, but this...to make you kill her yourself? And then all the anguishing you did for all these years. If I could take away your pain, I would”. She hugged Genevieve tightly. At this point, both girls were crying. 

“I know Carm. I know.”

The sisters held onto each other for quite some time. 

“Hey. Gen. Wake up honey” Carmilla nudged Genevieve. 

Genevieve opened her eyes and looked around blearily. “Wha…? Did I actually fall asleep on you?”

“Yes, poor little nugget. You cried yourself right to sleep on my shoulder. You didn’t make a single move when I laid you down either”

“And you stayed with me anyway? I figured you would have gone back to Laura” Genevieve said, trying to clear the remaining sleep from her eyes. 

Carmilla shrugged. “I’ve come to learn that Laura is fully capable of taking care of herself. She hasn’t been having awful nightmares either. I figured my staying here might help keep yours away”.

“Well it must have worked because I didn’t even realize I was sleeping” laughed Genevieve. “Thanks for staying Carm. It’s been so long since I had someone around who actually cares for me. It means a lot”. 

The sisters both got out of bed and met each other for another hug. 

“Let’s go join the living now, shall we?” Carmilla said, playfully elbowing Genevieve.

“Lemme get changed first. I’ll meet you in the kitchen in a bit”


	4. How Not to Meet Someone for the First Time

Genevieve always felt better when she put on a fresh set of clothes. Something about shedding the clothes she had had her nightmares in made her feel lighter, like the all the bad dreams had soaked into her pajamas. She was quite hungry, as well. All that flailing had worked up a mighty thirst in her, apparently. She padded out of her room and down the hall to the kitchen. Perry was busy furiously sweating over the stove. LaF was seated at the breakfast nook, getting to work demolishing a massive stack of pancakes. 

“Mormimg Gemeveev” LaF mumbled cheerily, mouth stuffed full. 

“LaFontaine! Do not speak with your mouth full!” scolded Perry. “Good Morning Genevieve. LaFontaine and I thought you deserved something special for breakfast seeing as it’s your first day here” she said as she set a stack of red pancakes in front of Genevieve. 

“Perry these look great but-” 

“Don’t worry, they’re made with real...protein supplement” Perry explained. 

“She means blood. They’re made with blood. Perry has a hard time talking about stuff that isn’t ‘normal’” said LaF. They proceeded to shovel more pancakes into their mouth. 

“Oh? Ok…” Genevieve picked up a fork and dug into the stack. She lifted the bite up to her mouth and tentatively took a nibble. “Wow! These are delicious!” she proclaimed. They were actually really good pancakes. She felt her thirst kick in. Within two minutes her plate was completely empty, void of even a crumb. When she finally came up for air, Perry was beaming at her. “Those were amazing. Thank you Perry”

“You’re welcome Genevieve! I’m glad to see someone appreciate my cooking as much as LaFontaine does” Perry responded, still smiling. 

“I better go get Laura up or else she’ll sleep all day” Carmilla said as she made her way out of the room. 

“I’m going to go wander around the house for a bit” said Genevieve. It wouldn’t hurt to take a walk down memory lane again. And she had nothing better to do anyway. Perry had gone back to cooking. 

“See you later Genevieve. If you need anything, just come find us” LaF said to her as she left the room. 

__________________________________________________

After taking a quick walk through the house, Genevieve decided to settle herself in front of the big flat screen in the living room. She had scanned the DVD collection in the bookshelf under the TV and picked out Finding Nemo. It was one of Genevieve’s favorite movies. She sank into the plush sofa, snuggled into a big fuzzy blanket with a hot cup of blood infused tea in her hand. It was nice doing something so normal in a place where she felt safe. Her ease was disrupted by a sudden knock at the front door. She untangled herself from her blanket, put down her tea, and made her way to the door. 

You would think by Genevieve’s reaction that it was someone like Kristen Stewart standing at the door. Standing before her, instead, was a small girl. She appeared to be around the same height as Laura and had a similar nose, but that was where the similarities seemingly ended. She had long, dark curly hair and warm brown eyes. Her skin had that olive coloring that was classically Italian. Her jawline was defined and her full lips had an enticing sheen of lip gloss on them. Those lips were so enchanting. Genevieve imagined biting those lips...

“Hey! I’m trying to talk to you! Hello? Where is Laura?” the girl said with annoyance, snapping her fingers in Genevieve’s face. 

It was then that Genevieve noticed the bags the girl was hauling behind her. “Uh, Laura is here somewhere. I’ll uh go find her. You wanna uhm come in?” Genevieve stammered, stepping away from the door. 

“Yes, I want to come in. It’s not exactly warm out here”. The girl dragged her luggage through the door, huffing. 

Genevieve bolted out of the room and down the hallway, in search of Laura and Carmilla. She found them in the bedroom they shared. Carmilla was lounging in a chair in the corner and Laura was caught up in something on her computer screen. 

“Uhm Laura? There’s a small ferocious girl downstairs looking for you” 

“Wha - OH!” Laura shouted as she jumped out of her chair and ran out of the room. 

“Must be her cousin” Carmilla stated, as she slowly removed herself from the chair.

“Cousin...oh yeah” Genevieve had forgotten about that. She thought Laura was cute, but her cousin..there was something about that girl that drew Genevieve to her like a moth attracted to a spotlight. 

Suddenly there was a lot of shouting coming from down the hall. “Well let’s go join them. I’m sure Laura will want to introduce us all” Carmilla said. As she walked past Genevieve she grabbed her arm and pulled her along. “Come on lil nugget. It’s family time”. 

They made their way down the hallway like that; Carmilla leading the way, half dragging her sister behind her. When they made it to the living room, they saw that LaF and Perry were already there and everyone was happily chattering. 

Laura noticed Carmilla and Genevieve come into the room and pulled them over to her cousin. “This is my girlfriend Carmilla!” she said excitedly, a big smile plastered on her face.

“It’s nice to put a face to the name, Carmilla. Every time I’ve talked to Laura in the past few months the conversation has always turned to you” Laura’s cousin said with a laugh. Carmilla nodded and rolled her eyes at Laura. 

“And the girl hiding behind Carmilla is her younger sister, Genevieve” Laura explained, pointing at her. 

“Ah. We met at the door. First she wouldn’t let me in and then she ran away before I could introduce myself. Good to formally meet you, Genevieve. I’m Laura’s cousin, Natalia”

“Hhhhi Natalia. Nice tttto meet you ttttoo” stuttered Genevieve. She could’ve slapped herself. She was making a terrible impression on this girl and she couldn’t stop. Carmilla was looking at her now with a strange expression on her face. 

“Come on Nat, I’ll show you to your room” Laura said. She began walking down the hallway. Before Natalia left the room she turned her head to look at Genevieve. It seemed more like a glare to her. 

“Oh great. She hates me already” Genevieve sighed. She looked back at her sister and found her smirking. “What? Is there something on my face?” 

“You’re smitten, little kitten” Carmilla laughed. 

“WHAT? NO! I swore I would never go through this again. Once is one time too many” Genevieve protested, shaking her head. 

“Honey, you were freshly turned. You’re not at fault for that. You’ve got your thirst under control now. You have discipline. There is nothing wrong with you connecting with someone again” Carmilla comforted. 

“Look even if I DID like her, I definitely did not make a good impression. I’m a mess when I’m around her. I don’t know what it is, but she unnerves me” Genevieve said, shrugging. 

“You’ve been on edge for a while it seems. Your nerves are shot. Know what that sounds like to me?” Carmilla asked. 

“What?” said Genevieve cautiously. 

“Sounds like you need some big sister bonding time. I’ll call up Mattie. You better sharpen those claws and teeth, little nugget. We’re going hunting” Carmilla said with a wicked grin.


	5. I Don't Want to Wait for Forever

“Late as usual, I see” Matska said as she came out from behind a tree.  
“I took the liberty of taking Gen on a little welcome back tour of campus. Figured it would be fun to see how decrepit everything is up close” Carmilla drawled lazily.  
“Yeah it was tons of fun. Seeing the pit where mother died was oddly satisfying” Genevieve offered.  
“I’m sure you had a lovely time. Now are you both ready? I am growing quite thirsty” Matska said impatiently.  
“Yep. Let’s go sestras. I’m ready to run” Genevieve said with a smile on her face. She was truly excited to be able to transform again. She had been too wary to do so for a number of years because she had been seen once before wandering the woods and it had created quite a stir in that village. The poor soul who witnessed her was probably still locked up in the psych ward. Large beasts such as Genevieve and her sisters weren’t supposed to exist in the wilds Europe. They had nothing to worry about when going hunting in the woods of Styria though. No person with half a brain in their head would dare wander about those woods. Not after everything that had happened there in the past.  
Genevieve watched Matska shift first. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think that the transition from human form to animal form was extremely painful. It certainly looked that way. Matska dropped to her hands and knees. Her legs and arms thickened to the size of tree boughs. Rich brown fur sprung up from her skin. Her face contorted; eyes changed shaped and migrated, nose and mouth turned into a fearsome looking snout. In the place of hands and feet, she now sported massive paws tipped with intimidatingly sharp claws. When the transformation was finally complete, standing before Carmilla and Genevieve was an enormous brown bear. Bear Matska turned and roared at them before charging into the forest.  
Carmilla shook her head, a smile on her face. “She always was a show off”.  
Carmilla spared no time shifting. Her transformation lasted as long as the blink of an eye. In her place was a sleek black panther. Panther Carmilla padded over to the edge of the trees and turned around. Genevieve grinned. Carmilla always waited for her. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began the process of transforming. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Shape shifting was one of the finer vampiric skills that Genevieve had long struggled with. Her training sessions with mother would often end with Genevieve covered in cuts and bruises from the beatings she received. Afterwards, mother would hover over Genevieve and tell her how weak and worthless she was. How she should have let her die all those years ago because what use was a daughter who refused to defend herself? Sometimes mother would even kick her before walking away for good measure. Genevieve would often lie there on the ground, thinking what a failure she was. Why couldn’t she transform? She didn’t want to get bloodied up by mother every time, so why was it so impossible? Carmilla tried to help her too. She held her own training session with Genevieve. Hers was a much gentler method. But even with Carmilla’s help she was unable to find her other form. She felt utterly disappointed in herself. Then one day when Genevieve was taking a walk outside by their home, she saw mother and Carmilla facing off. Mother was berating Carmilla for something. She raised her hand to hit Carmilla and suddenly Genevieve was there, in between the two. She knew something was off because mother was looking at her incredulously. She turned around to look at Carmilla and found she had a shocked look on her face as well. When she looked down she almost gasped. She had paws and fur. She had finally shifted.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Genevieve opened her eyes, her vision was much sharper. She bared her fangs at panther Carmilla in her feline version of a grin. They raced off into the forest together, dodging trees and leaping over boulders. She had forgotten how exhilarating shape shifting was. It was an amazing feeling to be able to let loose and let your instincts take over. Carmilla and Genevieve slowed to a stop when they reached their hidden clearing. Matska was already there, standing over the bloody remains of what was a deer. Mmmm, fresh kill. Genevieve’s mouth started to water and she crept forward. Matska roared and took a swipe at her with a massive paw. There was no way Genevieve was going to get at Matska’s kill. She knew that inherently. But still, it was fun to mess with her. Genevieve backed off and that’s when she caught the scent of live prey not too far away. She growled in delight and sprinted away, following the promise of a good blood meal. 

She didn’t have to chase the animal for very long. It simply couldn’t run fast enough to outpace Genevieve. The rabbit was dead before it even knew what hit it. Genevieve happily tore into its flesh and lapped up its blood. It wasn’t a big meal, but it was a start. When she was finished, she decided to head back to the clearing to see if Carmilla or Matska were there. Maybe one of them would want to stalk something together. 

When she arrived back at the clearing, all was quiet. There was no sign of either of her sisters. She figured she might as well stretch out on a rock and take a quick nap. She was a big cat after all, and lots of sleeping came with the territory. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard a noise off to her left. As she opened her eyes, a small girl with long curly hair came bursting through the trees. Genevieve could not believe her eyes. Why was Natalia here and how did she find this place? Genevieve was incredulous. When Natalia spotted her, she gasped and her eyes went wide in fear. 

“Since when are there lions in Austria??” Natalia exclaimed. It appeared as though she was about to turn and run back through the forest when Matska emerged from the other side of the clearing. Natalia stopped dead in her tracks. To Genevieve, it looked like Natalia had all but stopped breathing. Matska lumbered toward Natalia, teeth bared. Before Genevieve even knew what she was doing, she had jumped off the rock and ran straight into Matska’s path. What was she doing? Genevieve knew to get in the way of Matska when she was poised to kill was a death wish. And yet when she looked back at Natalia, standing stock still with a horrified look on her face, she knew she couldn’t let Matska kill her. Matska stopped before Genevieve and stood up on her back paws. She let out an earsplitting roar. It send shivers through Genevieve’s body, but she refused to back down. She snarled back at her older sister and showed off her sharp teeth. The fury on Matska’s bear face was plain. She took a deadly swipe with her paw, but Genevieve dodged it. Matska dropped back down on all fours and charged Genevieve with her mouth open. She took a snap at her neck, but Genevieve lunged to bite at her as well, so Matska’s teeth sunk into her shoulder instead. Genevieve snarled in pain as Matska tore at her flesh, shaking her head back and forth. Genevieve desperately clawed at her, raking her side. Apparently Matska got annoyed with all the scratching because she threw Genevieve toward the big rock she had been sleeping on. Her body hit the unforgiving surface with a sickening crunch. Pain traveled through her body like a lightning bolt. She could taste blood in her mouth and her vision was blurry. She felt like death. But when she saw Matska turn to make her way towards Natalia again (who was now lying on the ground in a state of shock), she found the strength to stagger to her feet. She growled loudly and began slowly walking toward them, every step feeling like the stab of a thousand knives. The look on Matska’s face was an equal mix of awe and fury. She made toward Genevieve with a glint in her eyes that told she meant to end this. Genevieve painfully crouched, meaning to make one last attempt to maim Matska enough to get her to turn back. The bear was almost upon her when a large black blur smashed into Matska, knocking her over. Carmilla was on top of her, teeth at her throat. Matska grunted her defeat and Carmilla backed off. She began running toward Genevieve and shape shifted back to her human form mid stride. Matska stumbled to her feet and disappeared into the woods. 

She put her hands on either side of Genevieve’s large furry head. “Gen! You need to transform back so I can see just how hurt you are”. Genevieve groaned and let her human body take over. Carmilla swore under her breath and the look on her face did not give Genevieve much confidence. “Stay right here and don’t move” she told Genevieve firmly.  
“I don’t think I could if I wanted to” Genevieve said weakly. She coughed up some blood. The pain it caused her ribs made her bite back a scream. She watched Carmilla hurry over to Natalia.  
“Natalia, are you hurt??”  
“Nnnno, I-I-I don’t think sssso” Natalia stammered.  
“Then get up. We need to get Genevieve back to the house quickly and I can’t carry you both so you’ll need to keep up. I won’t have Mattie killing you after Gen saved your life” Carmilla said brusquely.  
“You mean your evil older sister is that giant bear??” Natalia said incredulously.  
“How is that hard to believe? You just watched a lioness turn into my little sister” Carmilla snapped. She grabbed Natalia’s arm and not so gently pulled her onto her feet. She ran back over to Genevieve and scooped her broken body into her arms. Genevieve winced in pain.  
“Sorry little nugget. No time for being gentle now” Carmilla said as she took off towards the dark forest. She set a pace that must have been grueling for Natalia to keep up with, but somehow she did. Genevieve craned her neck best as she could to survey the damage done to her body. Her right shoulder was a complete mess, muscles torn and bone exposed. Her left leg was bent at a sickening angle. The rest of her body was scratched and covered in blood. The sight of it all made her dizzy or maybe that was from all the blood she was losing. She could feel herself losing her grip on consciousness. Her head flopped back and she shut her eyes. 

“Gen! Gen!....shit…..walk faster!...Genevieve hold on…” Carmilla’s voice faded in and out. She felt like she was moving away from her. It was harder to hear. Now it felt almost as if she were floating. She could smell wildflowers; felt the warmth of the sun on her face; heard a girl’s familiar laugh. When she opened her eyes she found herself in a field. She was lying on her back and there was someone next to her.  
“About time you woke up, mein schatz. I thought you were going to sleep all afternoon” Isabel said, a playful smile on her face.  
“Isabel...I’ve missed you so. I never thought I would see you again” Genevieve said, moving her hand to caress Isabel’s cheek.  
“I know my love. Being apart hurts. But you cannot come back to me yet” Isabel replied. Her playful smile had turned sad.  
“No. Isa. I want to stay. It hurts too much” Genevieve said tearfully. She moved to embrace Isabel. She meant to hold her and never let go. But Isabel moved out of her reach.  
“You must go back now. They are waiting for you. They need you. I have waited this long. I can wait for you forever, schatzi” Isabel got up and walked away. Genevieve moved to follow her, but she couldn’t. Everything began to fade out. The flowers wilted and died. The colors leached out of her surroundings until everything turned gray, then black. All that was left was darkness.


	6. Many Tender Moments

“...and then Laura told him that he better leave if he knows what’s good for him. He laughed in her face and she totally took him out. Guess those Krav Maga lessons her dad made her take paid off after all. My parents made me take them too, though I’ve never actually tested my skills. I wonder if I’d be able to take someone down like that. There is this one move that’s really cool and-”

“Do you ramble like this to everyone or am I just that lucky?” Genevieve rasped. She slowly opened her eyes. The shades weren’t drawn on the windows, but it was dark outside so she didn’t have to squint. She was back in her room, lying on her bed. Natalia was sitting next to her. She jumped up in surprise. 

“You ARE alive!” she exclaimed. She caught Genevieve off guard when she grabbed a cup from the bedside table and pressed it up against her cracked lips. When the liquid came in contact with her mouth, her thirst kicked into overdrive. She ripped the cup from Natalia’s hand and guzzled the blood greedily. When she was finished she looked sheepishly at her. 

“I’m so sorry. I don’t think I’ve ever been that thirsty before. How long was I out?”

“Ten days. You took a hell of a beating. After Carmilla got done doing damage control on your wounds I wanted to come in and see you. She wouldn’t let me at first. She told me it was my fault you were almost killed and that I had no right to want to see you. And she was right. I never should have followed you into the woods. But I heard Carmilla talking to you about a hunt and I was curious...this really is all my fault” Natalia had tears in her eyes by the time she was finished.

“Well they do say that curiosity killed the cat, though I never thought I’d be the cat in question” Genevieve joked lightly. 

Natalia burst into tears. You big idiot, Genevieve thought to herself. Now look what you’ve done. “I’m sorry! I was just trying to make light of the situation. I know it was in poor taste. Please don’t cry on my account” Genevieve pleaded as she sat up. 

“You have no idea how late it is for that” Natalia sniffled. She swiftly turned and walked out of Genevieve’s room. Genevieve let her body drop back onto the bed. She let out a sigh. She was over a hundred years old and her game was weaker than Donald Trump’s toupee. She was about to wallow some more when Carmilla strolled through the door with Laura hot on her heels. 

“Genevieve! I’m so glad to see you awake. I was afraid I’d never get to thank you for saving Natalia. Thank you. Thank you so much!” Laura said as she threw her arms around Genevieve’s neck. 

“Alright creampuff. Gen’s got enough injuries already, you don’t need to strangle her too. And anyway, I’d like to talk with her for a bit” Carmilla said.

Laura whispered her thanks again in Genevieve’s ear before letting go. She turned and gave Carmilla a look before leaving the room. Carmilla shut the door behind her. She had a blank look on her face. “You know for a while there I thought you’d never wake up. I came in here every night after that girl left and stared at you, silently pleading you to come back to me”. Genevieve was speechless. Carmilla’s face quickly shifted. “How could you do something so reckless? You do understand what you did, right?” she demanded furiously, eyes blazing.

“I couldn’t let her kill Natalia, Carm. I couldn’t do it” Genevieve responded quietly.

“You faced off with Mattie over some girl you just met! Do you have a death wish?!” Carmilla raged. 

“No, actually I don’t. But how is what I did any different from what you did? You faced mother and her ancient evil for Laura!” spat Genevieve.

The anger on Carmilla’s face dropped significantly. “Laura is special. I love her.”

“And who are you to say that Natalia isn’t special? Who are you to say who I have a right to risk my life for?” Genevieve’s anger was building. 

“Someone who loves you” Carmilla said softly, a deep sadness in her eyes. She left the room before Genevieve could reply. By this time, Genevieve’s head hurt nearly as much as her still mending body. As much as she had been angry at Carmilla for berating her, she wished she hadn’t left. After being lost inside her mind for ten days she was lonely for company. She didn’t want to dream anymore. She tenderly swung her legs off the bed and tried standing up. Her legs were so weak that she nearly fell to the floor. She quickly steadied herself by grabbing a bedpost. Falling now would be disastrous. Someone would come and yell at her some more, and as much as she wanted company, she was sick of being told what to do. She headed for a window, slowly and carefully. She winced with every few steps. Mattie had really done a number on her. She eased the window up and stuck her head out. The night was clear and the sky was ablaze with thousands of stars. She looked down. The drop didn’t seem too bad, somewhere around 15 feet or so. She backed away from the window and ran at it, diving out head first. She transformed in mid flight and landed gracefully, as cats always do. She shifted back to human form and began hobbling towards the field behind the house. Once she reached the middle of it, she gently eased herself onto the ground. Another gift Carmilla had given her was a love for stargazing. It was much more enjoyable when there was someone to share it with, but for now she’d just have to deal. 

She stared up at the sky, finding each constellation in alphabetical order. As she ticked Draco off the list, she heard footsteps coming from behind her. She sighed. Someone had noticed her missing and had come to rebuke her, no doubt. She sat up slowly and began to turn only to be yanked roughly to her feet.

“Hey, what the-” Genevieve began to say but was cut off by the hand that had moved to put her throat in a vice-like grip. 

“How DARE you interrupt my kill” Matska hissed in her ear. She spun Genevieve around to face her. “She saw us on a hunt. She was fair game. So give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now for your insolence.” 

Genevieve made some choking noises before Matska eased up on her death grip. Vampires can’t suffocate, but closing off their windpipe does make it hard for them to talk. “For my own account, I can’t give you one” Genevieve said. “But Carmilla could. She’d never forgive you”

Matska eyes flashed angrily. She growled low in her throat and threw Genevieve on the ground. “Never let it happen again. Carmilla thinks you can do no wrong now, but if you cross me again I can make that change.” She gave Genevieve a swift kick in the ribs for good measure and disappeared into the night. The kick was hard enough that it made Genevieve scream in pain. Moments later Carmilla burst through the back door of the house with Laura and Natalia right behind her. 

“Genevieve, what happened? And how did you get out here anyway?” Natalia asked in confusion. 

Genevieve looked up at the three girls. “I jumped out my window. I guess I must have jostled something in my ribcage because I was walking and then had a stabbing pain in my side” Genevieve explained. She coughed up some blood as she staggered to her feet. By the look on Carmilla’s face, Genevieve could tell she wasn’t buying it. 

“Well of course you did. You were just lying in bed half broken for ten days and then you jumped out a window. Are you crazy?” Natalia huffed, visibly shaken up. 

Genevieve was thrown off. Why did she care so much about what was happening to her? “In some ways more than others” she replied snarkily. She began limping back towards the house. She made it precisely three feet before a spasm of pain shot through her rib cage, causing her to groan and fall back to the ground. 

“Genevieve!” Natalia and Laura shouted in unison as they rushed over to her side. 

“I’m fine. I just tripped is all” Genevieve said stubbornly, trying to get up on her own. 

“No, we are not letting you walk back to the house” Laura said, keeping her hand on Genevieve’s back. “Carm, can you carry her?”

Carmilla had not moved since they had all come outside. “No. She got out here without my help, she can get back inside without my help” was all she said before walking back to the house. Genevieve watched her walk away. That was more painful than the kick Mattie have given her. 

“What was that all about??” Natalia said, looking even more confused than before. 

“I’ve learned not to question her when she does that. She has to go brood somewhere for a while” Laura stated. She helped Genevieve onto her knees and knelt down to put one of her arms around her neck. “Nat, put her other arm around your neck. We’re gonna get her back inside.” Natalia crouched and did as Laura requested. Genevieve was past the point of resisting, and besides, Natalia was so close to her now. Her skin smelled delicious and the scent of her blood was enough to almost make Genevieve go mad. She clamped her mouth shut and tightened her jaw. Natalia probably wouldn’t appreciate Genevieve biting her, especially since she was relatively new to the whole “vampires are real” thing. They made their way back to the house slowly. Once inside they brought Genevieve over to the couch in the living room and eased her onto it. 

“Are you going to be ok sleeping here? I can bring you a pillow and blanket” Laura said.

“NO!” Genevieve shouted. Laura and Natalia both jumped back in shock. She looked at them sheepishly. “I just mean I’ve been asleep for ten days. I don’t want to go back to sleep yet.”

“It’s late though Genevieve, and you really need your rest. You need to heal” Laura persisted, leaving the room. Genevieve hung her head. She wasn’t ready to face the dreams again. 

“I’ll sit up with you if you don’t want to sleep” Natalia said quietly. Genevieve looked up at her in surprise. 

“You’d really do that?” she asked. 

“Of course” Natalia replied. She sat down on the opposite end of the couch as Laura reentered the room with a large blanket and a fluffy pillow. 

“Here you go Genevieve. Let’s go Nat, we have to let her get some sleep”

“I’m going to stay here a while and keep her company. I’ll see you in the morning Laur” Natalia replied. “So Genevieve, what do you want to do?”

Laura sighed and dropped the pillow and blanket between them on the couch. “Fine” she said as she walked out of the room. 

“I was thinking we could watch a movie. Would you be ok with Finding Nemo? It’s one of my favorites” Genevieve said shyly. 

“Sounds great to me. I love Finding Nemo!” Natalia said, shooting Genevieve a breath-taking grin. “Where is it?”

Genevieve nearly had to slap herself to stop from stuttering. “Uh, it should be on the top shelf there” she said, pointing. Natalia got up to look for it and Genevieve shook her head. Snap out of it, she thought. You can’t act like this every time she smiles or gets close to you or she’ll really think you’re crazy. 

“Found it!” Natalia brandished the DVD case triumphantly and proceeded to put the DVD in the player. She walked back over to the couch and settled down, covering herself with part of the blanket. “You want to share? It’s big enough for both of us” she said as she held up the blanket. 

Genevieve grabbed the end closest to her and draped it over her lap. “You can have the pillow” she told Natalia. Natalia grabbed the pillow and placed it on her end of the couch. 

They sat like that for a while. Only talking here and there to make comments about the movie. Genevieve didn’t notice Natalia had fallen asleep until she made a comment about loving how the sea turtles were surfer dude stoners that went unanswered. She smiled. She could feel herself getting weary as well, but she still didn’t want to sleep. She managed to stay awake until right after Nemo and Marlin were reunited. It was at that point she could fight her lolling head and drooping eyes no longer. She let her head fall forward and her eyes close. And the dreams began again.


	7. And I Liked It

When Genevieve opened her eyes she was staring up at the sky. She was laying on her back surrounded by...wildflowers. Oh no, not this again, thought Genevieve to herself. This was exactly the kind of dream she was trying to avoid. She closed her eyes and tried to will the scene away. Then she felt the pressure of a mouth pressed against her own. Her body responded automatically. She wrapped her arms around the body hovering over her and pulled it onto her. Her lips parted. “Oh Isa” she said breathily.

The kissing stopped and the body on top of her pulled away. “Who is Isa?” the curly haired girl asked, looking down at her confused. 

Genevieve gaped at her. She had been expecting Isabel, since this was their field after all, but in her place instead was Natalia. She was at a complete loss for words.

“Oh well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Now where did we leave off?” Natalia said. She leaned back down and began kissing Genevieve again. 

Genevieve closed her eyes and gave in. After a few moments she stopped. “I can’t believe this is happening” she whispered. 

“How is this so hard to believe, schatzi?” 

Genevieve’s eyes flew open at the sound of that voice. Isabel was hovering over her now. Well this is confusing, she thought. Too confusing. Too much to handle. She rolled out from underneath Isabel and stood up. “I can’t do this Isa” she said and began to walk away. 

“You can’t do this? You did this to me” the tone of Isabel’s voice sent a chill down her spine and her heart filled with dread. 

She slowly turned around to look at Isabel. When her eyes took in the grisly sight before her, she fell to her knees and retched. Isabel did not make a beautiful corpse. Her grey-green rotting flesh hung limp in patches from her skeleton. There were a few wispy tufts of hair still on her skull but her eyes had been plucked out. The soulless black pits seemed to bore into her. The corpse of Genevieve’s former love shambled towards her. 

“You monster. You murdered me” the corpse repeated over and over. It raised its right arm. Clutched in its rotting hand was a stake. Genevieve was backing away but suddenly tripped and fell. The corpse closed in on her. It screamed as flung itself on top of her, drilling the stake into her heart and pressing its putrid, dead lips onto her mouth.

“GENEVIEVE! WAKE UP!” Natalia shouted as she shook her. Genevieve’s eyes flew open and she sat up quickly, knocking her head against Natalia’s in the process. “Owwww” Natalia said, rubbing her forehead as she backed up. 

“I’m so sorry!” Genevieve said apologetically. Then she looked at Natalia and the position they were in. “Also...when did you move to lay on me, and how did I not wake up?” If Genevieve could blush, she would have been. 

Natalia’s face was a lovely shade of crimson. “I...uh, don’t know. I think I must have done it in my sleep” she stammered. She let out a nervous laugh as she attempted to untangle her legs from the blanket that was wrapped around the both of them. 

Genevieve began trying to help. “Here, if you just lift your leg..yeah like that. Now pull on that side..no wait! Not like that!” They both let out a yell as they toppled off the couch and onto the floor. Genevieve landed on top of Natalia. 

“Are you ok?” Genevieve asked, sincerely concerned. She lifted herself off of Natalia’s body.

Natalia looked up at her and began laughing. Genevieve started laughing too. She was laughing so hard that her arms gave out and she flopped back down onto Natalia. They were both laughing hysterically into each other’s shoulders. Once they calmed down, Genevieve again lifted herself off of Natalia. 

“Well that was interesting. I didn’t know you could laugh” Natalia teased. She had a big grin on her face. She looked adorable. Genevieve leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips. It lasted a few seconds before she realized what she was doing and quickly pulled away. She hurriedly untangled herself from the blanket and stood up just as Carmilla strolled into the room.

“You two make enough noise to raise the dead” she complained. “What’s going on, anyway?”

“Nothing. I was having a nightmare which caused both of us to fall off the couch. That’s it” Genevieve replied in a rush. Carmilla crossed her arms and gave her a look. She knew that look. Carmilla saw right through her obvious lies. “Well I’m tired so I’m off to my bed” Genevieve said as she all but ran out of the room and down the hall. When she got to her room she threw herself down onto her bed face first. She rolled over to lay on her back. “I am a complete idiot” she said to the ceiling. She lay there like that for a few minutes before her door opened. Carmilla walked into her room and shut the door quietly behind her.

“So are you going to tell me what happened out there or are you going to let me assume the worst?” Carmilla asked. She stared at Genevieve with an eyebrow raised.

Genevieve sat up. “It was really no big deal” she began. But when she looked at Carmilla’s face, she knew there was no brushing this off. “Ok fine, it was a big deal. I was having a nightmare and she she woke me up. We were apparently cuddling in our sleep. Then we fell on the floor and we were laughing and then I just kissed her out of nowhere. And now she probably thinks I’m a creep” she explained in a rush of words. “I don’t know what I was thinking. That was completely idiotic”. Genevieve hung her head and shook it sadly. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me. That girl is crazy for you. Do you think it was accidental that you were cuddling? Ever since she got here she’s had an interest in you, and then after you saved her life? Even more so” Carmilla said, moving to sit next to Genevieve on the bed. “You are so thick sometimes, little nugget” she teased as she put her arm around her sister’s shoulders. 

Genevieve looked incredulously at Carmilla. “When she first got here I thought she had something against me. And I figured after I saved her she might have been grateful but also that I was a freak and a monster. I mean, she saw me turn after all”. She looked down at her hands.

“Well she’s definitely just as head over heels for you as you are for her” Carmilla said, matter of factly. She was smirking. “You two are going to need to have a chat about this.” Genevieve began to get up. “Woah there, tiger, I didn’t mean right this second. Laura took Natalia away to her room as well. I’m assuming she’s having a similar talk with her right now. And anyway, it’s late. You both need to rest. You can talk tomorrow” Carmilla stood up and walked to the door. She turned to look at Genevieve. “Oh and don’t think I’m letting you jumping out your window slide. I know you ran into Mattie out there. I know you think my love for you will hold her off forever, but it won’t. And if she tries to kill you again, I might have do something about. I really don’t want to have to do something about it. So stop making yourself an easy target, ok?” 

“Ok” Geneveive replied. They looked at each other for a few moments longer and then Carmilla walked silently out the door. After it shut, Genevieve laid back down on the bed. She let everything that had just happened sink in for a few moments and began to grin like an idiot, despite that chastisement Carmilla had given her. She closed her eyes and began humming “Brown Eyed Girl” to herself. It took her quite some time to fall asleep; she was just too happy.


	8. Cursed Lover

Genevieve was awakened by the strong smell of blood. She opened her eyes and had to stifle as scream. 

Laura jumped up off the bed, spilling half the contents of her cup on the floor. “Sorry! Oh sassafras. I didn’t mean to scare you and now I made a mess. If Perry sees this she’ll kill me”. She sent the cup down and looked about the room. 

Genevieve, after taking a few seconds to recover from that shocking wake up, hopped out of bed and grabbed a towel from her closet. “It’s ok, we’ll clean it up. But what were you doing? I have to say I’m a little creeped out”. 

Laura knelt down to wipe up the mess. "Well I thought you might be thirsty after...your nightmare last night". 

Genevieve gave her an incredulous look.

Laura sighed. "Ok so that's not the only reason I'm here. Carmilla told me about what happened last night...and so did Natalia". She got got a stern look on her face. "I wanted to make sure your intentions are good". 

Genevieve snorted. "Did you get that line from your dad Laura?" Genevieve said, trying her best not to burst out laughing. Laura’s face hadn't changed. "Laura I would never hurt Natalia. Why do you think I've been avoiding her? I didn't want her to get mixed up in all this. I know I'm trouble. But I can't help myself" Genevieve sat down on the bed. "She's had me falling for her since the moment she showed up". She smiled. "What's up with you Hollis'? You're such ladykillers". She got up and walked to the door. “I’m gonna go talk to her, if that’s ok with you” she grinned at Laura. 

Laura chuckled. “Yes, that’s fine. Go get her, tiger..or should I say lion?” 

Genevieve shook her head as she left the room. She walked quickly down the hall to Natalia’s door and knocked gently. “Natalia? It’s Genevieve. Can I come in?” There was no answer. She knocked again. “Natalia…?” She turned the knob and pushed the door in slowly. She gasped in shock. Natalia’s room looked like a crime scene. The sheets on her bed were torn. There was a small puddle of blood in the middle of the room with a trail of droplets leading to the window. Genevieve started screaming for Natalia. Carmilla was there in half a heartbeat. 

“What the hell??” she exclaimed. Laura, Perry, and LaFontaine came running as well. Perry and LaF were speechless. Laura ran to the window and started yelling. 

“NATALIA!! NATALIA WHERE ARE YOU??” tears were streaming down her face. Carmilla pulled her out of the window. 

“Laura. Stop. Gen and I will go find her. It’s gonna be ok” she embraced Laura and held her tightly. 

Genevieve had fallen to her knees just inside the doorway. Just when she had decided to admit her feelings to the first girl she had loved since Isabel, the first girl she allowed herself to fall for since she murdered what she thought was the one true love of her life. Now she had lost her. She stared at the puddle of blood congealing on the floor. She could be dead for all Genevieve knew. 

Carmilla yanked her to her feet. “Let’s go Gen. We’re gonna go find your girlfriend and kill whoever decided to take her.”

Genevieve snapped out of her trance at the word kill. Her blood began to boil. She wouldn’t just kill whoever took Natalia. She would torture them. She planned to make sure they suffered pain beyond anything they had ever experienced before...and she would make it slow. She would want them to beg her over and over for death until she finally tired of the game and left them to die of their wounds. Mercy killing them would be too nice. Her fangs elongated at the thought of it. “Let’s go kill” she said to Carmilla, a fire burning in her eyes. She ran out of the house and found the spot where Natalia’s bedroom window overlooked. There were a few drops of blood on the ground. She could see a clear path through the field where they had taken her. They had gone into the forest. 

Carmilla came up behind her. “Tracking will be easiest if we shift.” 

Laura had been staring out Natalia’s bedroom window since Carmilla had let her go. She watched the panther and lion run with extreme speed through the field and into the forest where they quickly disappeared. She began crying again and slumped to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sincerely sorry this took so long to write. Life gets crazy; what can I say?  
> \------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> It's been nearly 3 years since I updated this little tale. Feeling a revival is in the works :3

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank pandawisdom for giving me the inspiration to write this story.  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
